The Bad Guy
by Lif61
Summary: The powers released from the destruction of the Sword of Protection leave Adora in the shambles of the Fright Zone, where Catra is contemplating what is left for her. And now, Catra sees a chance at seeking something other than what the now-defeated Horde wanted for her.


**A/N: Yet another one of my many fics that I haven't posted till just now.**

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Catra had nothing left, no desires, no strength, no hopes, no will, no responsibilities, so she sat there amongst the rubble of the Fright Zone, waiting… waiting for what? Glimmer had left, and Catra had heard her screams, had seen the magic draining from her flow up into the dark sky. This, all of this, had been bigger than all of them, but it always had been. Double Trouble was right. She wasn't meant for this, not meant to be a conquerer or a bad guy, not a villain, or even a leader. She was small, meaningless, something people always tossed aside.

No Adora, no Scorpia, no Double Trouble, and Hordak would surely die from his wounds under the sharp remnants of heavy, torn metal.

And what about her? Would she die? She was wounded. The Fright Zone was in shambles, their troops had all been decimated, and Etherea was…

Oh, what had she done?

Was this what she had wanted?

What had she ever wanted? To be someone who wasn't alone?

But here she was, back to the wall, bleeding from multiple wounds, exhausted, and done.

She might as well be dead.

Ethereal light filled the sky, magic unlike anything she'd ever seen, and a familiar scream met her ears, one that would've once tugged at her gut with excitement and clawed at her chest with guilt, and made her tingle with… with something. Maybe remorse.

But it was that sound, that voice, and she knew it all too well.

It was as if a hole opened up in the sky, the stars that had come back to them glimmering within, and then a body, a blur of color began to fall, and it dropped down in front of Catra, just paces away from her. She hissed, ears low, tail fluffed up, and she felt her claws come out farther, ready to protect herself.

The being that had fallen had her back to her, but she recognized the jacket, the blonde hair that had fallen down in a mess around her shoulders. She groaned and started pushing herself up.

"Stay where you are," she ordered.

Or perhaps it wasn't much of an order. She'd scrambled to her feet, had almost fallen, the fight with Hordak having worn her down and she had to hold herself up with a piece of crumbled wall. Her tail swished near her hips.

The person before her let out a cry of pain and rubbed at her head, and then turned to face her, pulling her legs in.

Adora's blue eyes met her.

"Catra?"

"Hey… Adora?"

"What… What? What am I doing here?"

Adora had bags under her eyes, and she seemed lifeless somehow even while still breathing. Seeing her without the gold bejeweled brace on her arm, she thought she understood.

"The Sword," Catra breathed, voice raspy, tired. "It's gone."

Tears built up in Adora's eyes, and she turned her head away, but just a fraction. Catra saw a line of tears trail down her face and drip off her chin.

"Yeah, it's gone. And so should you be."

She stood up, and Catra, not knowing why, tried going over to her.

Adora shoved her away, and tears stung at the corners of Catra's eyes, her throat aching with emotion.

"No! No, get off me!" Her claws raked into Adora's biceps, and she screamed, but she still managed to shove her away. "You had your chance. And now there's nothing. There's nothing. Not here, not in the Princesses, or-or Bright Moon, or Etherea. Light Hope, the First Ones, they wanted to use me, to destroy it all. The Horde was just a distraction. _You_ were just a distraction. I could've helped you, Catra. You could've come with me, before the portal, before this, but you chose your side. Don't you dare think there's a place for you now."

"A-Adora. I… You're not She-Ra anymore! Do you really think there's anything left for you? You're not a Princess! You're not one of them."

"What, so I'm one of you?"

The anger faded from her face, and she sighed. A shadow crossed over her, her shoulders slumping, and her hair blew in front of her face. She gestured her arm out over the ruined Fright Zone.

"Is this what you want to be?"

Blood dripped from the scratches on her arm, pattering to the metal ground.

Catra slowly stepped forward, and Adora turned her head to the ground, but her face was slack.

"Adora, I couldn't even be a leader. I… I don't think I can be anyone. I couldn't make Shadow Weaver happy, or Hordak, or Scorpia. My own people betrayed me." She reached out, keeping her motions steady, gentle, and she cupped Adora's cheek in her hand, feeling it wet against her palm. She tilted her face up to her. "You betrayed me."

Adora's face screwed up with despair, and she admitted, "I'm not like you, Catra. I'm _not_ the bad guy. A-a-and the First Ones, they made me to be the bad guy. But I'm not that. Maybe you thought I could be once, but I never was."

Catra used her other hand to take off the armor from her face, letting it clatter to the ground, showing herself to Adora, showing that Adora was free to hurt her if she wished.

"You were never the bad guy. Maybe in my story you were. But I realize now, I'm not good at what I do."

"Catra—"

"I don't want to be the bad guy. I-I did bad things, I hurt you, and I… I wanted to hurt you, but you _left me_. You left me, Adora. How could you do that?"

"I had to."

For a second Catra had the urge to slap her, but here they were, seemingly at the end, or just the end of battle and destruction before the final storm. So she reigned it in and she pulled her hand away, lowering it to her waist.

"I need someone," she admitted, her voice cracking, her tears finally spilling free. "I don't know why, but I need someone. I can't believe I'm so… _weak_. Please, Adora. You're not She-Ra, the Horde, it's… destroyed, and Etherea…"

Adora took her hands, squeezed them hard, too hard, but Catra made no sound at it. Her ears just drooped.

Adora met her in the eyes, and she had never looked more tired, and she somehow looked old, much older than she had the right to be, as if some ancient power inside her had lived and died, and she was simply housing a graveyard now.

Adora pulled away.

"I can't."

And then she started walking away, fading in the smoke.

"Wait, Adora! Adora!"

Catra ran after her.

"Adora!"

She found her by scent more than sight as she had now disappeared into a burning, smoking part of the Fright Zone, and Catra tackled her to the ground. She was straddling her, and had a forearm against her neck to restrain her.

"Maybe you can't, or won't, but I can."

She kissed her softly despite the fierceness she felt in her, and she cried as Adora kissed back.

"You weren't always She-Ra," she said after pulling away. "And you mattered to me, then. You were my family. Will you be that again?"

"Catra... I'm not ready."

Catra swallowed back emotion, and climbed off of Adora, even held out a hand to help her up. Adora let her, and hung her head, holding an arm to herself looking hurt, disappointed, sad.

"I will be when you are." She gave her a light punch on the shoulder. "Go save the universe. Leave some bad guys for me."

One side of Adora's mouth turned up in a half-hearted smile and then she disappeared through the smoke, leaving Catra in ruins yet again, but this time there was promise and hope for a better future.

Rubble fell and crashed around her.

Still there were pieces that had to be put back together.

Catra fell to her knees and sobbed.


End file.
